Gift wrapping with textiles

Chizuko Morita has tapped into the traditional Japanese art of wrapping with cloth to create startling new ideas for gift-giving. In a minute or two, or sometimes seconds, a swatch of cloth can be fashioned into a stylish wrap that shows you really care. The ideas in this volume range from wrapping CDs to books, a box of chocolates to a bottle of wine, a poster to a soccer ball. Square, oblong, oval, spherical, and tubular-almost any shape can be decorated in a unique fashion. And since the wraps rely on only three knots, they are nearly foolproof. So much grace achieved with so little effort! Ms. Morita's ideas have their roots in the Japanese furoshiki, an elegant cloth traditionally used for wrapping and carrying bundles. Wishing to adapt the centuries-old practices to today's lifestyle, she devised a number of ingenious wrapping ideas, each illustrated with step-by-step photographs and each simple, fascinating, and fun!--